Apparatus for tipping traveling mine skips



March 1930- w; RAWLING ET AL I APPARATUS FOR TIPPING TRAVELING MINE S KIPS Fiied Aug. 31, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 4, 1930. w. RAWLING ET AL APPARATUS FOR TIPPING TRAVELING MINE sxm Filed Aug. 31. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 4, 1930 warren STATES PATenr was; I

. WALTER RAWLING, JAMES MARSHALL, AND JQHN'BAKER nmvrronn, OF onssnoox,

I AUsTRALI I APPARATUS FOR TIPPING TRAVELING MINE SKIPS Application med August 31; 1928, Serial 110.

- This invention relates to the emptying of traveling mine skips and the like by inverting them so that their contents fall out, and

the object of the invention is to provide sim- 5 ple means whereby a skip without being stopped is turned over endwise, returned upon its previous course, restored to normal position and propelled from the apparatus in continuation of its course.

The invention consists in apparatus comprising a continuous rail track arranged in open loop formation in a substantially vertical plane, and for portion of its length composed of rails of channel section with their channels opposed, and angle irons, and an endless mechanically operated creeper chain equipped with fingers to engage the axles of the skips and carry the latter around the loop substantially as hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings. The invention also consists in certain other fea tures as hereinafter ascertained.

Reference is now made to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings which depict an embodiment of the invention and in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus in which the looped rail track is constituted in part by rails of channel section and in part by rails of angle section;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus showing a number of skips in various positions thereon;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional plan view showing chain guides for directing the chains on and off sprockets at the entry and exit ends respectively of the loop; and v Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional plan view showing chain guides for directing the chains on and off sprockets which are mounted concentrically with the curved portions of the track. v

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 represents the rails of the ordinary track from which the skips enter the apparatus. The entry section of the loop track is constituted by rails 2 which register with the rails 1, and has a slight upward inclination as clearly shown in Fig. 2, for the purpose of steadying the skips and preventing them from overrunning. The entry section of the track regis- 302,340, and in Australia September i, 1927.

ters with and merges into a downwardly and rearwardly curved section constituted by two curved channel rails 3 disposed with their channels opposed and which are of a size to freely accommodate the wheels of the skips. From the lower "end of this curved section, hereinafter referred to, as the first curved section, a central or return section of the track, composed of "angle iron rails 4, extends rearwardly and horizontally in a dire'ction slightly oblique to thedirection ofthe entry section, said central section terminally registering with an upwardly and forwardly curved section constituted by two curved channel rails 5 similar and arranged similarly tothe channel rails 3. This upwardly and forwardly curved section is hereinafter referred to as the second curved section.

The upper ends of the channel rails 5 respectively register 'with and lead on to a pair of rails 6 constituting the exit section of the track; this section has a slight downward inclination as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and leads in a direction to avoid the firstfcurved section and to join a lead 0H track 7.

Concentric with the channel rails 3v of the first curved section and arranged midway between them is a sprocket wheel 8-on a shaft 9 rotatably mounted in cross bars such as 10, and a similar and similarly arranged and mounted sprocket wheel 11 is concentric with the channel rails 5 of the second curved section.

A smaller sprocket wheel 12 is mounted at the outer end of the entry section of the track between the rails2 in brackets 13 attached to the rails 2, and a similar sprocket wheel '14 is similarly mounted between the rails 6 at the outer end of the exit section of the track. Reeved about these sprockets 8, 11, 12 and 14 is an endless chain 15 arranged in the manner shown and equipped at intervals with rigid fingers 16. Power from any appropriate source isa'pplied per medium of belt pulley 17 mounted on the axle of sprocket 12, to impart motion to the chain in the direc tion indicated by the arrows; and the respective diameters and the arrangement of the sprockets is such that portions of the chain are maintained parallel with the straight sections and concentric with the curved sections of the track at all times, while the length of the fingers 16 is suilicient to enable them to engage the axles of the wheels 18 of skips 19 while the latter are traversing the loop track as hereinafter explained.

It will be observed that the lead of chain 15 from sprocket 14 and on to sprocket 12 is slightly angular. To eliminate any tendency of the chain to j amb, and to diminish wear and tear of the sprockets and chain, we pro vide guides such as 20 and 21 (see Fig. 3) to guide the chain off and on sprockets 14: and 12 respectively.

For the same reason guides 22 and 23 (see Fig. A) are provided to guide the chain oil and on the sprockets 8 and 11 respectively.

The operation is'as follows A loaded skip entering the entry section from the track rails 1 on to the rails 2, has one of its axles engaged by one of the fingers 16 of the moving chain 15 which drags the skip up the incline to the first curved section where the wheels 18 enter the channel rails 3 and pass around the downward curvature of the track at this end, the skip in its passage being inverted so that its contents fall out as shown at 24: (Fig. 2). The empty and inverted skip suspended from its wheels, now enters the central section of the track, and is propelled thereon by the chain fingers 16 towards the second curved section of the track, the wheels rolling on the horizontal portions of the angle irons 4. Having traveled along the central sect-ion, the skip wheels enter the channel rails 5 of the second curved section, the skip is forced upwardly around this curved portion of the track, and is thereby restored to its upright position. From the channel rails 5 the skip enters the exit section of the track and while on the downward incline thereof, its progress along the rails 6 is controlled by the engagement of one of its axles with one of the fingers 16 until,'at the point where the chain curves downwardly about the sprocket 14 and recedes from the track level, the skip is released and gravitates on to the lead off section 7 of the track.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is r 1. Apparatus for tipping traveling mine- .skips comprising a continuous rail track contally, to the entry section, and an exit section joined at one end to the upper end of the last mentioned curved section; and, in combination with said track, means for progressing a mine-skip about said track, said means comprising an endless chain equipped with fingers to engage an element of the under frame of a skip on the track, and four sprockets, one of which is power driven, about which said chain is reeved, two of said sprockets be ing located respectively at the entry and exit ends of the track, while the other two respectively are mounted concentrically with the curved portions of the track; all operating as and for the purpose set forth.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 includ-.

ing a chain guide located adjacent each spocket to or from which the lead of the chain is angular to the plane of revolution of the sprocket, for the purpose set forth.

Signed at Cessnock, New South Wales, this thirtieth day of July, A. D. 1928.

WALTER RAVVLING. JAMES MARSHALL. JOHN BAKER RUMFORD. 

